Early Help Reviewing permanent and fixed period exclusion from - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Early Help Reviewing permanent and fixed period exclusion from school

Abi Onaboye

Head of Service Early Help

Early Help Service - Education

Early Help staff work collaboratively with schools, council services and partner agencies to support the early identification of children and families requiring additional support. Practitioners work with families to ensure that children and young people are supported to access appropriate education that meets individual child and family needs – including supporting children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disability, and children placed in our local Pupil Referral Unit and Alternative Provision. Early Help works with schools to support families to positively engage with services to

• vercome:
• Persistent absence and barriers to school attendance
• Challenging behaviours
• Risk of exclusion and youth offending

SPARK – Exploring parent views on Early Help and education

Accessible for all families. Education is a huge focus and concern for parents, particularly regarding child behaviour and/or Special Educational Needs and Disability support in schools. Mediate/advocate for parents in schools. An Early Help service available everywhere and linked with universal services: schools; GP; stay and play; parents’ groups. Facilitate meetings for families in schools, parents and education professionals from LA

• r other services.

Positive promotion of Early Help services amongst schools – having a visual presence to share information and avoid lack of knowledge of services being a barrier to accessing help. Parents sometimes felt schools Parents sometimes felt schools treated issues in an isolated way and Early help staff help school to understand wider family context.

How do Early Help services engage with education?

 Team Around Family process – engagement with schools as part of whole family assessment and intervention. Collaboration with education professionals throughout case work, including regular progress reviews with the family.  Education Information Requests – specific information gathered from schools at beginning of intervention to inform planning (attendance; attainment; support in services/place).  School Link role – All practitioners allocated to schools in borough to engage and promote the Early Help offer via Team Around School process. Youth Violence Survey (2018) – 92% Designated Safeguarding Leads in Islington schools stated they were aware of Early Help services.  Parenting Programmes and Support – to support positive implementation of routines, boundaries and appropriate responses to child behaviour – this has a positive impact on school engagement and attendance.  Advocacy – on behalf of family to wider professional network to ensure family and child’s views are shared.

How do Early Help services engage with education?

 Relationship established between Early Help and NRC PRU - facilitates appropriate information sharing when children transition between non-mainstream schools to mainstream and vice versa to.  Trauma-informed Early Help staff  Special Educational Needs and Disability training - All staff in Early Help have attended training to enable staff to support families with children with SEND.

All staff, including non-teaching, are aware of how to identify vulnerable pupils and follow the systems in place to provide early help and support.

Information about risk and protective factors

All staff are aware of the protective factors and how schools and school staff can contribute to these. All staff are aware of risk factors, what to look out for and follow the systems in place to flag concerns

• The importance of mental health

and its relationship to the risk factors

• Housing issues
• Both pupils’ behaviours and their

circumstances

• How traumatic experiences can

affect pupils

• Family members with mental

health difficulties

• Impact of parental conflict

Information on trauma informed approaches

The DSL has the knowledge, understanding, skills and time to lead this work across the

• school. They are responsible for:

All staff wareness

• Ensuring whole school systems

are in place and appropriate agencies are involved.

• The process to identify and report concerns

ensuring all staff

• Receiving reported

from staff / pupils / parents / external agencies

• Leading and

Taking advice when there are incidents of concern and reporting where appropriate Appropriately sharing information about individual pupils or groups with relevant members of staff Keeping up to date with most recent guidance and local community issues Liaising with external agencies

Consider…

All Staff awareness Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

• Complete Early Help

Assessment

• Share concerns about

individuals or groups

• Current issues

Families First and local external agencies

The school has rigorous systems for identifying vulnerable pupils and planning support. There is a safe and compassionate environment and a focus on developing pupils’ life skills through a whole-school approach. An essential part of supporting vulnerable pupils in school should include:

• Established procedures to:
• Improve attendance
• Manage behaviour
• Record and monitor low-level

concerns

• High quality, age appropriate,

regular PSHE lessons for all pupils, including circle time, that reflect the needs of the class

• Regular, close communication

between school and agencies for advice, consultation and planning

• Regular multi-agency pastoral

meetings, with key messages consistently communicated to staff

• Developing effective relationships

and partnerships with parents.

• Storing all information in one place,

which can be accessed by the relevant, appropriate people.

• Monitoring and reflecting on the

effectiveness of whole school systems Whole School Systems

Information from parents or pupils may trigger concerns Pupils Parents

Whole School Approach to Providing Early Help to Pupils

identify and report concerns Identify the right support Implementing the agreed approach

Checking it’s working

Receiving reported concerns

• All staff awareness

whole school systems

2

Team of key staff who support the DSL in implementing DSL responsibilities Team of key staff who support the DSL in implementing DSL responsibilities

Work with pupils, parents and partners to:

• Monitor the agreed actions
• Evaluate the impact of
• Consider need for further or different action and whether

further multi-agency planning is needed Ensure effective feedback mechanisms from services working with pupils and families Implement the agreed multi-agency coordinated approach to support the pupil All agencies work in partnership to deliver on the agreed action plan Assess needs, vulnerabilities and strengths (incl. involving parents, pupils and appropriate agencies).

• Request more information as needed.
• Information about risk and protective factors

Is the pupil at risk of harm? Agree a coordinated approach with the appropriate agency(ies) and involve pupils and parents. This should:

• Increase protective factors and decrease risk factors
• Complete Early Help assessment ands include internal

school support

• Involve appropriate agencies

All staff are confident to identify pupils who may require early help

• Children with low attendance and/or poor punctuality
• Children with behaviour difficulties
• Families where parents are not in work
• Families where there is parental conflict
• Families where there is poor mental or physical health
• Families where there is a concern around substance misuse
• Families who have debt

All staff report concerns that they have identified

• Whether staff know who to report to and how
• Whether staff believe their concerns will be acted on

appropriately

• How staff are given feedback about actions taken
• 4. Implementing the Agreed Approach
• 3. Multi-Agency Needs Assessment
• to identify the right support

Information from parents

• r pupils may

trigger concerns

Share concerns about individuals and groups

Families First and local external agencies

• 1. Identifying and Reporting Concerns

Pupils Consider… Parents

• 5. Checking it’s Working

Consider involving these agencies Safer Schools Officers IGT Families First IFIT CAMHS TYS CSC SIPP Yes: consult / refer to children's social care

Lower level concerns: convene team around the child / family or multi-agency meeting

Process for Identifying and Responding to Needs

multi-agency planning

3

• 2. Record

concerns

Insufficient info: monitor situation in discussion with

• parents. Continue

to record concerns

Designated Safeguarding Lead

Consider…

IMHARS – Islington Mental Health and Resilience in Schools

Continuing school outreach support at Pooles Park Primary School ‘FSW Larissa has worked as our Families First link worker for 3 years. In addition to her allocated hours, she has come into school before and after hours to meet the school community on the school gates and playgrounds in order to foster meaningful relationships with vulnerable families. …she always responds to staff communications to meet to support families in school. She meets with families before they sign up to any services to ensure they understand what is

• n offer and available to them and to talk through any reservations/concerns. This means

that families are in a better place to access the support and services, therefore take up is higher and leads to more positive outcomes for children.’

Pastoral Care Manager Maggie Ryan, Pooles Park Primary

Case was referred from school.

AA's presenting behaviours:

‐ truanting internally ‐ high number of exclusions. ‐ AA’s involvement in , anti‐ social behaviour out of school. ‐ AA found gang culture fascinating and was at risk

• f gang involvement.

‐ AA CAMHS assessment identified: learning difficulties; easily distracted with a short attention span.

AA at risk of permanent exclusion if behaviours continued.

FIW assessment highlighted contributing factors : ‐AA's learning needs not being met in education. ‐Bereavement ‐loss of grandparent. ‐VA's leniency regarding school attendance and lack of parental control. Intervention: ‐ FIW completed parenting work, including exploring 'parenting messages' to understand VA’s experience of education. ‐ FIW completed sessions with VA around boundaries, consequences, positive praise and incentives. ‐ VA was able to receive emotional and practical support. ‐ FIW met with AA at school to do direct work with him, covering topics such as: dreams; worries and good things; self‐esteem; dealing with difficulties; coping tools. ‐ FIW collaborated with professionals (school/SEN) to support family through EHCP process. ‐ Support and advocacy on behalf of AA and VA to ensure that school were meeting AA's needs during EHC assessment and reduce further risk of exclusion.

‐ AA has an EHCP plan which VA and AA contributed to and agreed with. ‐ VA stated she is ‘happy that AA will be receiving the help he needs’. AA has also acknowledged that he feels supported by the school. ‐ AA had temporary reduced timetable implemented ‐ AA received extra support in school to meet his learning needs. AA attended his local Youth Club which helped him increase in confidence and self‐esteem. ‐ AA can reflect and be honest about how he is feeling. ‐ AA secured a place at college and is motivated to attend and expressed career aspirations. ‐ VA became more assertive and consistent with her parenting strategies ‐ Improved school attendance. resulted in improved school attendance ‐ Comfortable sleeping arrangement and routine for AA.

AA has an EHCP in place to support transition to college. AA has been able to acknowledge his difficulties and is more confident asking for support if needed. AA is more likely to attempt a piece of work that he finds difficult rather than shunning away from it. VA now praises her children when they demonstrate wanted behaviours and gives incentives for them to work towards.

Referral to IFIT

Family: Mum – VA Child – AA (15)

Themes: Poor attendance and ASB

Intervention Outcomes Futures

Family:

Mum – ZP Child – MP aged 11 (Other children: aged: 1month; 7 years; 10 years)

Theme: school transition and SEND

MP (aged 11) has a diagnosis of ASD and has an EHCP to support his needs. He recently transitioned to secondary school in borough and has had difficulties adapting to the new environment resulting in f/t exclusion. Actions

‐ Concerns regarding MP’s interaction with other pupils at school, so school SENCO provided whole class ‘autism awareness’ session to indirectly inform pupils to be sensitive to MP’s needs to prevent further physical altercations ‐ FSW scheduled regular school Team Around Family meetings to discuss MP’s Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) provision and school support to help MP’s transition. ‐ FSW explored different schooling options for MP and suitability with school and parent.

Outcomes

‐ MP continues to attend mainstream provision with the support of his EHCP. ‐ Peers are more aware of MP’s needs and understand that he does not mean to cause offence and/or initiate altercations. ‐ MP started playing chess and helping at a family member’s café on a Saturday to increase social activities outside of the home. ‐ ZP provided contact details for SENDIASS colleagues and is able to now advocate on MP’s behalf. ‐ ZP’s relationship with school has developed and she has a good relationship with the new SENCO to monitor MP’s progress. ZP feels more confident engaging with school and discussing MP’s needs. ‐ All 4 children are engaged in extra-curricular activities, including MP.

Challenges

• Schools using fixed-term exclusions to manage behaviour
• Failure to identify SEND and provide appropriate support – e.g. starting of Education Health

Care Plan (EHCP) process AFTER multiple fixed-term exclusions and/or permanent exclusion.

• Transition from primary to secondary schools
• Implementing universal early help in mainstream provision
• Frequency and length of exclusions vary from school to school
• Use of alternative provision to avoid permanent exclusion
• Overcoming consent barrier to Early Help/other service involvement
• Early Help provision varies in each borough

Early Help - Futures

New Outcomes Plan – measuring education outcomes including: attendance; exclusion; attendance to AP/PRU. Flexibility – providing a flexible service offer to support families with children who are at risk of multiple fixed-term/permanent exclusion. Whole school approach and TAS - Engagement from schools in TAS process –utilising the FSW link worker role consistently across ALL schools by schools organising a ‘multi-agency’ meeting to address the needs of children/families who could benefit from early intervention. Awareness – engaging school Senior Leadership Teams in schools to promote early help as a whole school ethos e.g. Heads Forum . Transition – a focus on identifying and improving outcomes for children who may find transition from primary to secondary school challenging. Education Outreach Team – to support YP to positive reintegrate into mainstream school environment where appropriate.